Largs Thistle boss Stuart Davidson has thanked fans for their show of support during blizzard like conditions at Darvel on Wednesday evening.

It was an unfortunate 2-1 defeat for the Barrfields side after a battling performance with Will Sewell opening the scoring against the title chasers.

Davidson said: "Thanks to the supporters who made the journey to Darvel and braved the conditions, it's much appreciated, I am gutted for the players as they gave everything and deserved something from the game. But I know they will fight on. Onto Saturday."

The manager felt his side did enough to get a result at Darvel.

He said: "I am sick of hard luck stories -  we were quite rightly ahead at half-time and it could have been a couple more if we had a bit more luck.

"It just shows you when you are at the top of the league you get the luck - the boys worked very hard and I am gutted for them.

"Will had one cleared off the line just after Darvel equalised.

"We should have dealt with their equaliser better - a bit like the Blantyre game it was a gift at the near post from the corner - it should have been cut out - but their winning goal was fortunate as it was a deflected cross and it landed on the boy's head. That just doesn't happen for us right now but we can't feel sorry for ourselves. We need to just go again against Kilbirnie tomorrow."

The Largs boss said he felt sure if the players can continue to apply themselves and put in these high level of performances between now and the end of the season they can stay up.

Davidson said: "We can definitely stay up - if the boys keep applying themselves and working like they did against Bens and Darvel it will turn.

"I keep talking about the wrong side of the fine line - listen Darvel are a real quality team and we frustrated them and we actually caused them problems as well."

Victory  for Largs at Valefield Park tomorrow would see Largs move one point behind Kilbirnie with four games in hand.

Davidson said: "Kilbirnie will be a very tough game - they recently beat Darvel - and they will have a confidence and swagger about them after their recent results, so we need to go and compete with them and continue to work hard and cause them problems.

"We are a good team and been playing well and it is just the results that have not been going for us recently and if we keep doing the same positive things we can go and win at Kilbirnie.

"Having watched the last two games we can still stay in this league. We have been playing cup finals for a while now - and every side will be saying the same thing - we need to keep battling away and push on."